PFC Mario Ybarra

Posted in his honor by his son
It was March 5th, 1966, eight days before my first birthday, when my father (PFC Mario Ybarra) was killed as a result of a gun shot wound to the head in the jungles of Vietnam. He was with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines “India” Company. My father was from Weslaco, Texas and was one of the first ten to be killed in action from the Rio Grande Valley.
Without warning, I joined the ranks of countless other orphans of this tragic war. As the only son born to this fallen Marine, I have lived my life wondering why? And what if? The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument is to honor and remember those that fought in this most tragic and controversial war, but it is important for people to know that there are others who were just as deeply affected and impacted by this historical incident. I believe I can speak for others and safely say that we (orphans and surviving children of Vietnam Veterans) are also a BIG part of the “forgotten.” Countless of us suffer from the day-to-day repercussions of this war, if not directly, but indirectly. We “relive” the war just as much as our fathers/mothers do. And for those who lost a loved one, we will always wonder.
In 2009 PFC Mario Ybarra Elementary School in Weslaco, Texas was named for my father.
Please remember him.
MY FATHER’S GRAVE
All I have is but a stone…
A stone to look at
A stone to shine from time to time
A stone to weep on
Cold to the touch
That stone is mine.
All I have is but a plot…
A plot to admire
A plot to weed when covered by spines
A plot to pray upon
Walked on by many
That plot is mine.
All I have is but a memory…
A memory of silence
A memory of tragic acts of crime
A memory of death
Ill fate of war
That memory is mine.
All I have is but a dream…
A dream to see
A dream to love by all things divine
A dream to touch
Reality shattered
Never to be mine.
by Mario Ybarra, Jr.
We honor you, Mario Ybarra.